Backscatter

[JustJo]

Ugh...what a choice.

I have no issues flying...rather like it in fact. I have zero confidence in the TSA regardless of the equipment they have to use...and certainly want to be safe when I fly.

However, if these are real images from the scanner then I am NOT comfortable with this. I'm femme...none of the complicating issues that many of our trans friends face, but still, for me....no. I'm not even comfortable wearing a two piece bathing suit at the beach. I'm certainly not comfortable with strangers at the airport seeing me naked. I don't care if it's their job, whether they make fun, are turned on, bored silly....whatever. No.

I will walk through the metal detector, they can use the wand, and if they feel the need I will accept a pat search from a female officer. See a pretty clear image of me naked? No.

[Apocalipstic]

I could care less for myself. I fly internationally often and if someone wants to laugh at what I look like naked, have at it.

However,

I do know it freaks out my trans friends and agree with Tuffy that the Israeli's do way better than the US does in keeping people safe and maybe we should take some tips from them.

So I don't know really.

[Medusa]

Oh thank JEEBUS this thread isn't about what I thought it was!!!!

Yanno, I get the need for this type of scan but I will feel incredibly violated if I am ever in a situation to be scanned and might reconsider flying because of it.

I am mostly concerned too for young teenage girls being subjected to x-rays at the whims of pervy security agents or people who are exceptional (like having no legs or a birth defect) being scanned for curiosity or entertainment by these agents.

The MOST concerning thing to me? In this day and age of ever-increasing technology, I do NOT want to see scans of my personal body outline up on the internet on "HeadlessFatChicks.com", nor would I want to see scans of the men I love up on "LookieAtTheSmallPenis.com"

Again, I get the need for...something....but damn.

[Nat]

To me it's definitely the sense of violation that bothers me - rather than a fear of being laughed at. I feel that taking a photo of a person's naked body without their consent is akin to assault.

And just as Medusa mentioned teen girls being ogled, little children may also end up being ogled and having their pictures traded over the internet.

The age of consent varies from state to state, but at any age now, you have naked pictures taken by government officials?

And then the jokers at the TSA are making fun of each others' bits? Those sound like trustworthy folks. I'm sure people with that much discretion would never ever abuse their power or whip out their iphones to capture the most notable scans.

Thankfully at this point in time, it's not yet mandatory here in the US. Here, we can choose to be publicly groped if we feel squeamish about the xray. Or we can choose not to fly and our worlds can shrink significantly.

[Ravenouss]

Maybe it will make those lazy, inefficient, rude, unprepared, worthless airport screeners move a little fast by trying to get some cheap thrills...

I say fire them all and hire the Israeli to do airport security... (and certainly do not allow them to unionize or we are screwed!)

[SuperFemme]

I find it interesting that the Federal Gov't wants me to have less mammograms because of the radiation, yet that same Federal Gov't is fine with dosing me with radiation at the airport. Maybe they can give us copies of the backscatter to take to our MD for analysis?

[SuperFemme]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Oh thank JEEBUS this thread isn't about what I thought it was!!!!

Yanno, I get the need for this type of scan but I will feel incredibly violated if I am ever in a situation to be scanned and might reconsider flying because of it.

I am mostly concerned too for young teenage girls being subjected to x-rays at the whims of pervy security agents or people who are exceptional (like having no legs or a birth defect) being scanned for curiosity or entertainment by these agents.

The MOST concerning thing to me? In this day and age of ever-increasing technology, I do NOT want to see scans of my personal body outline up on the internet on "HeadlessFatChicks.com", nor would I want to see scans of the men I love up on "LookieAtTheSmallPenis.com"

Again, I get the need for...something....but damn.

You know you made me go look don't you?

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by SuperFemme

You know you made me go look don't you?

HAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAH!

Of COURSE you did!

[SuperFemme]

Originally Posted by Medusa

HAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAH!

Of COURSE you did!

that was SUCH a let down. pout.

[Dean Thoreau]

Ok the supervisor should not have said anything and kept his comments to himself...but actually it comes down to locker room humor.....
or....So do you really think your medical dr, dentist, teacher, priest, therapist...etc has not sat and talked to someone aobut "their job" and told...funny stories, or other things?

Let's be honest, you dont think it is funny when i relay the story of the:

Gynecologist who walked in an examining room sat down to give a 50 yr old patient an internal exam and on the "table...where the instruments were...was a little note written....by the nurse that said...something old...something blue.......gynocologist looked up at the nurse quizzicly and she smirked he then put on his gloves lube and stuff and...turned and there was a nice big piece of BLUE toilet paper hanging from the woman's...ass"

The ER patient that came in with a...................... up his...............


The Minister who told me how he had given funeral eulogy that was so inspiring and touching that everyone at the service did not just smile at times...but by the end they had their heads buried in their hands...even tho Bob's wife did not seem to touched by it.......did I tell the minister the deceased's name was Frank?...........have I gone beyond the call of professionalism by relaying that true story?

Or the mammogram tech that when having lunch with fellow workers says..omg i had a patient today and it took 4 xrays to get the entire left boob!
And a co-worker responds hell I had one that was so flat chested..i thought she had her back to the machine! all that xray film for a nipple!

This type of discussion has been going on since the day you came out of a set of lips or a womb on your birthday.....dr's have said oh did u see that baby ...nurses have said ........... and it will continue until your body is turned to ash..if you are going to worry about it,,you may as well crawl under a rock and hide...cause in the greater scheme of things its only a body, a strap on, a cock, a bound chest, an O ring, a piercing,,,a crotch,,,,a boob....hell wrap the damn cock in aluminum foil, wear a foil bra.....have some fun and make them pat you down and smile and wink at the person.

[MissItalianDiva]

Well maybe I am just too relaxed about the issue but I don't really care it makes no difference especially if it will stream line the wait to get through the damn screening in all airports especially La Guardia and O' Hare then I dont give a damn. If someone wants to sit and stare at shriveled cock and sagging breasts all day then so be it. With as much one way traveling and my last name I am already red flagged so I get patted down 8 out of 10 times I get on a plane, whats one more step especially if it could possibly prevent a terrorist.

Flying is a priviledge and in order for us to keep people safe sometime we all must sacrifice comfort for a moment.

[Scorp]

Do what you got to do to keep us safe. So go on and X-RAY.

Personally, every time I get on airplane, I feel as though it may be my last time on one. I hate flying and always have, even before terrorism, but it doesn't stop me from going anywhere.

It still amazes me that these huge pieces of equipment have the ability to stay up in there air. In any case, that's neither here nor there.

As far as terrorism and folks sneaking shit on planes in any way they possibly can, these scanners best be 100%. I'm sure it's going to be a matter of time before catastrophe hits again. I hope I'm wrong, but...I don't think that will be the case.

So sad what we have to do and go through because of such hate and power hungry fuckers. What the world has to come to. There will never be peace...

That's a whole other thread....

[Waldo]

Originally Posted by Scorp

Do what you got to do to keep us safe. So go on and X-RAY.

Personally, every time I get on airplane, I feel as though it may be my last time on one. I hate flying and always have, even before terrorism, but it doesn't stop me from going anywhere.

It still amazes me that these huge pieces of equipment have the ability to stay up in there air. In any case, that's neither here nor there.

As far as terrorism and folks sneaking shit on planes in any way they possibly can, these scanners best be 100%. I'm sure it's going to be a matter of time before catastrophe hits again. I hope I'm wrong, but...I don't think that will be the case.

So sad what we have to do and go through because of such hate and power hungry fuckers. What the world has to come to. There will never be peace...

That's a whole other thread....

We go through this because over system of government allows lobbyists to head up federal agencies. LINK

[betenoire]

Perhaps if your government wants to make you "safe" from "terrorists" it should instead explore what, exactly, it does that pisses people off so much. And then fucking stop doing that.

[Nat]

http://consumerist.com/2010/09/pregn...body-scan.html

The two TSA agents asked me, "Why don't you want to go through this?" I said, "I don't trust it." They said, "Why don't you trust it?" I said, "I am pregnant and would rather be pat down." And they said, "Oh but you get ultrasounds, don't you?"

I answered yes and the TSA officer said, "Oh it is less than an ultrasound, and it's really easy so just go through."

The TSA officers are doctors now??

They repeated again for me to just go through the scanner and it would be done in 5 seconds. I was literally in tears because I wanted a pat-down instead of going through the machine, and I felt they declined me that option. No matter how much I pushed for a hand pat-down, they pushed harder for the machine.

Then, after I stood in the machine, the officer waiting on the other side of it patronized me by cooing, "There, that was easy, wasn't it?"

I mentioned that I was forced to do it and went to the belt to take my possessions, while tears ran from my eyes.

I really felt the TSA agents were just being lazy since a pat down obviously takes more time for them, but I also feel like when I specifically ask for something that is an option for me, I should be able to get it.

[RockOn]

This puts things into incredibly sharp focus for me.

Let's go back to the 9/11 tragedy for a moment.

How about the people in the plane that went down in the Pennsylvania field?
They did not go down instantly. Due to events that were transpiring on their plane, they had a pretty good idea they would not make it. Try and put yourself in their position for just a minute. (although that is impossible to even imagine what a horrible feeling) Those poor souls had to endure absolute fucking terror for a long time as their situation became progressively worse on their airplane.

Pretend those people had been given these two choices that day before they boarded the plane.

Keep this in mind. This is a little exercise in the absolute. There can be no what ifs, no questions, no altering of the choices, no saying this could never happen, no saying this type of guarantee could never be provided. Remember this is a hypothetical scenario, it is only pretend.
Their only two selections are listed below:
1.
Go through what we have to undergo today in order to travel by plane. If they willingly agree to this, they are guaranteed personal safety.
2.
Board the plane exactly as they did that day - take their chances because they are highly indignant and sick of being intimidated by terrorism.

Wonder what their choice would be.
Wonder what your choice would be.
I know what mine would be.

[Corkey]

Sorry I don't do guilt. TSA has overreached with this. I don't easily give up my freedoms, seeing how I fought for them, and neither should you. If we do so then the terrorists have indeed won.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Brock

This puts things into incredibly sharp focus for me.

Let's go back to the 9/11 tragedy for a moment.

How about the people in the plane that went down in the Pennsylvania field?
They did not go down instantly. Due to events that were transpiring on their plane, they had a pretty good idea they would not make it. Try and put yourself in their position for just a minute. (although that is impossible to even imagine what a horrible feeling) Those poor souls had to endure absolute fucking terror for a long time as their situation became progressively worse on their airplane.

Pretend those people had been given these two choices that day before they boarded the plane.

Keep this in mind. This is a little exercise in the absolute. There can be no what ifs, no questions, no altering of the choices, no saying this could never happen, no saying this type of guarantee could never be provided. Remember this is a hypothetical scenario, it is only pretend.
Their only two selections are listed below:
1.
Go through what we have to undergo today in order to travel by plane. If they willingly agree to this, they are guaranteed personal safety.2.
Board the plane exactly as they did that day - take their chances because they are highly indignant and sick of being intimidated by terrorism.

Wonder what their choice would be.
Wonder what your choice would be.
I know what mine would be.

Here's the fly in the ointment...there IS no guarantee. Someone above just mentioned that the machines can't see inside body cavities. If drug mules find ways to swallow or insert balloons of drugs inside them, what makes anyone think a terrorist and/or someone bent on hurting others for whatever reason won't do the same with something that could be used to bring a plane down?

I think that there should be ways to go about this without violating people. I don't see it happening any time soon, but there should be that option too.

[Waldo]

Originally Posted by Brock

This puts things into incredibly sharp focus for me.

Let's go back to the 9/11 tragedy for a moment.

How about the people in the plane that went down in the Pennsylvania field?
They did not go down instantly. Due to events that were transpiring on their plane, they had a pretty good idea they would not make it. Try and put yourself in their position for just a minute. (although that is impossible to even imagine what a horrible feeling) Those poor souls had to endure absolute fucking terror for a long time as their situation became progressively worse on their airplane.

Pretend those people had been given these two choices that day before they boarded the plane.

Keep this in mind. This is a little exercise in the absolute. There can be no what ifs, no questions, no altering of the choices, no saying this could never happen, no saying this type of guarantee could never be provided. Remember this is a hypothetical scenario, it is only pretend.
Their only two selections are listed below:
1.
Go through what we have to undergo today in order to travel by plane. If they willingly agree to this, they are guaranteed personal safety.
2.
Board the plane exactly as they did that day - take their chances because they are highly indignant and sick of being intimidated by terrorism.

Wonder what their choice would be.
Wonder what your choice would be.
I know what mine would be.

Really? Guarantee? Bwahhahaha. Sure thing, pal.

And? My memory is pretty awesome about this stuff because it impacted me. Think back, please... to the training that air crews had... which was absolute cooperation with hijackers.

I have zero doubt those people suffered unbearable torment ONCE THEY REALIZED they were not going to land safely anywhere. But that realization likely did not come until the very last moments of their lives. Whereas the people of Flight 93, which went down in Pennsylvania, figured it out and tried to over take the hijackers.

Up until those attacks that was the standard operating procedures of hijackers. Take control of a plane (via intimidation of the crew and passengers) and demand the plane be flown to an alternate location and make demands. Keep passengers and crew until such time your demands are met.

There is no way in hell that works any more. Just won't. Today, if a passenger were to try to overtake the flight they would be taken down by other passengers.

The choice isn't about indignation. The choice is about paranoia and reality. When the tactics that the government employs makes sense, I will gladly submit to enhanced security measures.

In the meantime I'll happily move through airports in countries which have suffered innumerable terrorist attacks with security measures that are not meaningless.

Security theater or real security. That's the choice we should have. And I know my choice.